Start
your love’s Valentine’s Day off right with these wonderful strawberry muffins!
Valentine's
Day Strawberry Muffins |
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon lemon
juice 1 cup milk 1/2 cup butter, at
room temperature 1 1/2 cups white
sugar 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons lemon
extract 1/2 teaspoon lemon
zest 1 1/2 cups chopped
fresh strawberries |
3 cups all-purpose
flour 1 teaspoon baking
powder 1/2 teaspoon baking
soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (optional) 12 slices fresh
strawberry 1 tablespoon white
sugar |
DIRECTIONS:
1. |
Mix lemon juice with as much milk as needed to measure 1 cup;
let the soured milk stand for 5 minutes before using. |
2. |
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). |
3. |
Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. |
4. |
Cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a large
bowl. |
5. |
Beat in the eggs, one at a time; add the lemon extract. |
6. |
Gradually stir in the lemon zest and soured milk. |
7. |
Gently fold in the chopped strawberries. |
8. |
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together
in another bowl. |
9. |
Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture until dry
ingredients are just moistened. |
10. |
Fold in the chocolate chips. |
11. |
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups to about 2/3 full. |
12. |
Place a strawberry slice atop each muffin and sprinkle with
some of the 1 tablespoon white sugar. |
13. |
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the
center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5
minutes before serving |
Of
course, you’ll want to make sure their evening meal is fabulous, too…
Valentine's
Salmon |
INGREDIENTS:
8 green onions 1 slice bacon,
sliced 1 clove garlic 1 leek, white and tender green parts only, halved lengthwise
and sliced salt to taste 1/2 teaspoon butter 1 1/2 cups diced
Yukon Gold potatoes 3 cups water, or
more as needed |
1 pinch cayenne
pepper 2 (12 ounce)
center-cut salmon fillets 1 teaspoon tarragon
Dijon mustard salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon
vegetable oil 2 tablespoons Asian chili paste (sambal), or more to taste
(optional) 1 green onion,
chopped |
DIRECTIONS:
1. |
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add 8
green onions and cook uncovered until slightly softened, about 30 seconds.
Immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the
cooking process. Once the onions are cold, drain well, and set aside. |
2. |
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until
browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, leek, salt, and butter; cook and
stir until leek is softened, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and enough water
to cover, about 3 cups. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a
simmer, reduce heat to low and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15
minutes. Set aside. |
3. |
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking
dish with parchment paper lightly coated with vegetable oil. |
4. |
Prepare each salmon filet salmon by cutting the belly, the
bottom 1/3 of the fillet, off the skin. Cut remaining 2/3 of fillet away from
skin. Cut this piece in half. Cut belly in half horizontally. Spread each
piece with tarragon mustard and top with a slice salmon belly. Season with
salt and black pepper. Wrap each salmon packet with two green onions,
crisscrossing like ribbons, tucking the ends on the underside. |
5. |
Place salmon packets, belly-side up, on the parchment and
drizzle each with vegetable oil. |
6. |
Bake in the preheated oven until the salmon is slightly firm
to the touch and no |
Don’t forget dessert!!
Valentine
Cake |
INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 ounce)
package white cake mix 1 (4 ounce) jar
maraschino cherries |
3/4 cup chopped
pecans 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed |
DIRECTIONS:
1. |
Drain the cherries reserving juice; chop cherries and reserve. |
2. |
Prepare cake mix according to box directions, adding water to
the reserved cherry juice to equal the amount of liquid needed for cake mix. |
3. |
Preheat oven to box directions. |
4. |
Fold the cherries and pecans into the cake mix; stirring by
hand. Pour mix into 2 round cake pans and bake in preheated oven. |
5. |
When cake has completely cooled, frost with whipped topping;
serve and keep unused portions in refrigerator. |
We
hope your Valentine’s Day is spectacular and you get to spend it with the one
you love the most!